They were all there for California Chrome, the guy with the jackass tattoo on his shoulder, the gal with more chrome jewelry than a ’59 Cadillac and of course the blue-collar connections – trainers Art and Alan Sherman, owners Steve and Carolyn Coburn and Perry and Denise Martin.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Coburn said after California Chrome romped to a 5¼-lengths win in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby, his final prep race for the Kentucky Derby. “To have the No. 1 3-year-old in California and the U.S. right now. All those bluebloods from Kentucky say this horse is California bred. He doesn’t know that. He just loves his job.”

Alan Sherman made it official when he hoisted his father, Art, off the ground in a bear hug between son and father in the winner’s circle. California Chrome won his fourth straight race, the Santa Anita Derby against Kentucky Derby hopefuls. By winning, California Chrome shot to the top of the leaderboard in Kentucky Derby points with 150 and most certainly will be the Derby favorite. California Chrome covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.52 and paid $3.60, $2.40, $2.10.

“It was awesome . . . that’s all I can say,” Art Sherman said of the son of Lucky Pulpit out of the one-win mare, Love the Chase. He has won his last four races by a combined 24¼ lengths.

“Junior” as his owners call California Chrome, didn’t have the best of starts in the Santa Anita Derby. It was only an eight-horse field, but it had the feel of more the 20-horse Kentucky Derby at the start as the horses pinched California Chrome in the No. 5 post.

Baffert said Hoppertunity, who has 95 points, plenty enough to join the Kentucky Derby field, will race in it. He also has Chitu (54 points), and Midnight Hawk (52 points). Sadler said if 30 points gets Candy Boy in the Derby, they’ll go. “We think our horse likes the distance,” Sadler said.

California Chrome earned $600,000 for the win, putting him over the $1 million mark in earnings with $1,134,850. He now has six wins from 10 starts with one second. Coburn and Perry were offered $6 million for controlling 51 percent of California Chrome, but the agent for the prospective owner said it would have meant getting a new trainer.

“We’ll talk about it,” Coburn said when asked if they would consider selling now, but then he mouthed the word, No. A sale likely won’t happen, especially if it means another trainer for California Chrome.

“We like Art because he’s old school,” Coburn said.

Every once in a while a storybook tale comes along for the Triple Crown, and this certainly is one. A mom and pop horse ownership operation called Dumb Ass Partners, with their first foal ever now a Kentucky Derby favorite, a trainer whose only Derby experience is as an exercise rider for 1955 Derby-winning Swaps, forced to train at Los Alamitos because of the closing of Hollywood Park and backed by a blue-collar fan base that includes R.L. Willeford and Dawn Burghardt of Yucca Valley. Willeford is the fan with the owner’s insignia, a jackass, tattooed on his shoulder, and Burghardt, his girlfriend, shows up at races with chrome jewelry.

“We had people here today from as far away as Hawaii,” Coburn said. “We’re picking up quite a following.”